Tis the day before The 4th of July
by stacks.of.books
Summary: Slow burn from Thanksgiving to Labor Day. This is the 9th in the series. Uploaded once a month.


Caroline dug her feet into the sand. She blew out a puff of air, slightly moving the hair that hung over her eyes. This was a mess. Everything had gone so wrong.

She could admit that she wasn't really excited about Cass's plan, the plan which wasn't even a real plan but just an idea. In the last month, she had always made plans right after dinner to give mom and Andy time together. She made Cass go with her. They planned situations to get Andy to hang out with them, so mom wouldn't worry about their opinion and so Andy would like them more. It was going so well. Mom and Andy were finally dating, not in public of course and neither had said anything to her or Cass but still they had been moving forward. Tears filled her eyes. She rubbed them away with a closed fist.

A shadow covered her for a moment and then Cassidy flopped herself onto the towel next to her. "Want to go in for dinner?"

Caroline tilted her head, "Do you?"

Cass shook her head no and lay on her back. "Mom is…" She closed her eyes against the sun. "She's impossible."

"You know why she's like that."

Cassidy puckered her lips and let out a pop. " ** _We_** don't really know why? She won't answer why and now Andy is going to Vanity Fair."  
Caroline lay on her own towel. She closed her eyes. "I think mom finally pushed Andy away. I mean if it was Andy who wanted to leave she wouldn't have looked so…" Caroline waved her hand, at loss for the right word to describe mom. She'd never seen her so out of sorts. With the 4th being right in the middle of the week, mom announced they would go to the Hampton's for a full week's vacation. Seriously, if Caroline hadn't known about Andy, she would have thought mom was dying. Last time they went on a vacation was after Stephan filed for divorce. Page Six had gotten really vicious and next thing you know, they were taking a break from New York.

"So what do we do?" Cass asked, breaking Caroline away from her inner thoughts.

She exhaled, her eyes still closed. She could feel the sand scrape against her skin as she shrugged her shoulders and thought about it. "I don't know," she finally answered.

"What if I call Andy down here for something and then we lock them in a room together until they figure it out?" Cass turned to her side.

"I don't think that works unless you're Lindsay Lohan or Hayley Mills."

"Fine. What if we..."

"Stop Cass. I don't think we can plan this or trick or trap them into anything. I think…" Caroline paused and thought about what she wanted to say. It was scary but the more she thought about it, the more it seemed like the only option. "I think I'm going to go in the house and talk with mom."

"Talk with her? About what?"

"About Andy." Caroline stood up and brushed off the sand.

"Are you crazy? Mom doesn't talk to us about these things. She doesn't talk to anyone about these types of things." Cassidy sat up.

"Don't you think that's sad? I was thinking about it earlier today. Maybe mom is so use to being alone, she's afraid of being with someone." Caroline grabbed her towel.

"What are you talking about? She's been with tons of people. I mean she married dad and Stephan."

"Yeah but do you think she ever shared her thoughts with Stephan?"

Cassidy tiled her head and thought about it. "No, probably not."

"I'm going inside."

Cassidy got up too. "I'll just go shower and call out for dinner. Will you talk to mom while I go pick it up?"

Caroline nodded. She looked out towards the sea once more. This would be the last time she meddled in her mom's life. Hopefully it would all work out.

.

.

A quick shower and change of clothes, Caroline knocked on the study door before pushing open the door. Her mother had thrown open the glass doors and was sitting on her private balcony, looking over the sand dunes.

"Mom?" Caroline waited for an answer; instead her mother just turned her head. For a moment she wondered if her mom even saw her but then her eyes locked onto Caroline.

"Hmm," she murmured as she let the balcony and entered the house.

"I," Caroline swallowed and started again, "Can we talk?"

"Of course Caroline," she pointed to the sofa. Caroline dropped onto it, Miranda gently sat and folded her hands.

Caroline looked at her folded hands. Huh, she hadn't noticed how old her hands had started to look; wrinkles and sun spotted, where once only smooth skin had been. How many things had her mother touched with those hands? Both literally and figuratively?

"Caroline?"

"Sorry I was just thinking about your hands."

"My hands?" Miranda turned her hands over and looked at them. "Yes, they've gotten dry. The sea air is drying them out more than normal."

"No, I was thinking about how much they touched."

"Excuse me?"

"Like in fashion, in politics, in publishing…"

"Oh, figuratively," Miranda asked, still turning her hands over but now looking at her palms. "I guess I've shaped many things…"

Caroline interrupted, "but also literally, like fabrics, us, the hands of others when you are introduced. How many times did you rest your hand on an elbow or back of someone you loved?"

"What?"

"How many times did you touch Andy?"

"Excuse me but that is none of your business, nor do I appreciate this line conversation."

Caroline reached out and laid her hands on top of her mother's, she gripped them lightly. "I know you loved her and I know she loved you. Mom it's okay. We want you to be happy."

"This is entirely inappropriate."

"It's a little weird for me too but we've been watching you and you've never seemed so happy until now. Now you're just sad all the time."

"I'll strive to be more cheerful then." Miranda pulled her hands away and stood. She ran a hand over her slacks. "Where is your sister? We should figure out what we are having for dinner."

"She already left to get it." Caroline stood and mimicked her mother's behavior. "Mom. Please stop and listen."

"Listen? You're my child…"

"I'm not a child anymore and Cass and I are tired of watching you…"

"You're tired of watching me…."

"…not chase after someone who is perfect for you."

"Excuse me?"

"Andy. She's perfect."

Miranda sank back down into the sofa. "Andréa."

"Look, I know I'm young and it's just as weird for me as it is for you to have this conversation but it's important. I love you mom. We love you. We will always love you. It doesn't matter to us if you're with Andy or not. Well," Caroline rushed on, "it matters a little because we want you to be with her."

"Want me to be with…" Miranda repeated in a shocked voice.

"She is the nicest person we know and if I meet anyone who looks at me the way she looks at you, I'm marrying them."

"Marrying?"

"Not that you have to get married. But why did you break up with her?"

"Break up? We weren't dating?"

"You weren't. Dinner once a week isn't dating?"

"We were friends."

"But not anymore?"

Miranda leaned into the sofa. "She's going to Vanity Fair."

"And that's why you aren't dating," Caroline held her hand up, stopping her mom from speaking, "sorry friends, because of Vanity Fair."

"No. She's going to Vanity Fair because we aren't friends."

"So, help me understand, you aren't "friends"" Caroline made finger quotes around friends, "and Andy decided after 6 years that she would leave Runway for that reason."

"Yes."

"Mom I don't think you've ever lied to me but it feels like this is close to a lie."

"Caroline, I will not be harassed by my own child."

"I'm just trying to figure out why you don't want Andy. Is it because she's a woman? I didn't really think about it, I mean who wants to think about that?" Miranda smiled wryly while Caroline continued "It just seemed like you liked her. I mean liked her liked her."

"You thought I liked her liked her?" Miranda continued to smirk, "but you aren't a child anymore."

"Yeesh," Caroline ran a hand through her hair. She could feel her ears turn a little red. "Fine, I thought you loved her."

Miranda sighed. "I did. I did love her."

"So what happened? I mean you don't have to tell me."

"I don't? It seems little you walked in here and started a Spanish Inquisition."

"Well you know what they say?"

Miranda let out a watery laugh. "Fine. I loved her. Or love her. But there are so many things in the way."

"Like what?"

Miranda rubbed her eyes. "Just…"

"Is it us?"

"No, no it…maybe at first but I've been watching you too, you and Cassidy. At first I thought you had figured out that I liked her and were avoiding her."

"We knew you liked her for a long time."

"You did?"

"Well I did. Cassidy figured it out around Mother's Day."

"Oh," Miranda looked a little gob smacked at the new information. "But then you both started visiting her on your own so…"

"We were leaving so you could spend time together! So it wasn't us and it wasn't that she was a woman?"

"No, no that didn't bother me. I mean Page Six would have a field day, but…"

"So it's about what people would say?"

"About me, no, but about her and you and your sister. I've tried to protect the both of you…"

"Mom, we're adults."

"Yes you keep reminding me."

"I mean that you don't have to protect us anymore."

"I'm your mother. I will always try to protect you."

"Mom," Caroline sighed.

"Fine," Miranda conceded the point. "Still I want to protect you all."

"You said you want to protect Andy too."

"Yes."

"Does she need protecting?"

"I think so. I'm sure Page Six would have written a few nasty things concerning her climb in Runway."

"Would anyone believe it?"

"I'm sure there are some who…"

"I mean would anyone who actually knows Andy believe it?"

"No, I do not believe so."

"So no one important would believe it. It doesn't seem like she needed protection either."

"I guess…I guess not."

"So if it's not us or Page Six or that you're both women…mom is it your job? I mean could you be fired?"

"No. My contract is iron clad and Andréa didn't work directly under me."

Caroline scrunched up her nose and then asked "So what was it?"

"Hmm?"

"The things? I can't think of any other reason."

"Oh, well…" Miranda paused and the tips of her ears reddened. "I think I may have made a mistake."

"Okay. So how do we fix it?"

"Fix it?" Miranda stood and started to pace.

"Yeah, fix it. Mom, we _can_ fix it."

"I wouldn't even know where to begin. I haven't seen her in a week and she already signed contracts at Vanity Fair…I…I"

"She can still work at Vanity Fair. It will be easier for both of you then. You don't have to worry about page Six right?"

"That is incredibly naïve my darling but yes it would be easier."

"Well, what about when we go back to the city?"

"She is going with Nigel to oversee a shoot in California."

"After?"

"Caroline, I'm not sure this will work. I was, it was, difficult."

"Difficult," Caroline parroted back. She tilted her head and tried to hear what her mother wasn't saying. "I think you'll need to grovel."

"Grovel?" Miranda's hand covered her mouth like she had said something foul.

"Grovel, and mean it this time."

"Mean it?" Miranda repeated in a slightly shocked voice.

"Yeah, with Stephan it was all "I'm sorry I was late, there was no reception, blah, blah, blah. You never meant it because you didn't think you were wrong. And before you start to defend yourself, Cass and I didn't think you were wrong either, by the way. After all, you never missed anything that we wanted you to attend."

"I never…"

"But with Andy," Caroline continued on, like her mother hadn't spoken, "you messed up. So you should talk to Cass about groveling. She's better at that."

.

.

"I'm better at what? Oh and dinner's in the kitchen. I got thai from that place with the flowers we like." Cassidy walked into the study.

"Groveling."

"Oh yeah, I'm pretty good at that."

Miranda looked between her daughters. "Where do we start?"

"The kitchen. Dinner's getting cold." Cassidy turned and walked out.

"I swear she has a tapeworm." Caroline followed her out.

Miranda stood and looked back out the window. Maybe she could fix this. She shook her head gently and then closed the doors to the balcony. Her girls had really grown up.

"MOM!" Cassidy voice boomed through the house, "CAROLINE IS TAKING ALL THE SPRING ROLLS!"

Well, maybe not completely grown up and for the first time in over a week she felt a smile tug at her lips and a laugh bubbled up. She might be able to fix this. No might about it, Miranda was going to win back Andréa.


End file.
